


i'm not much for dancing (but for you i did)

by carter (TheIslandOfMisfitToys)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Dancing, Dancing Steve Rogers, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-29
Updated: 2014-10-29
Packaged: 2018-02-23 03:29:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2532458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheIslandOfMisfitToys/pseuds/carter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve thinks it's a good idea. Taking Bucky out to do all the things they used to do together seems a reasonable way to help him regain more of a sense of who he is and was, and they used to go dancing all the time so... makes sense.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm not much for dancing (but for you i did)

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a bunch of sad tweets but Helen told me to write it as a one-shot so here it is. Dedicated to Helen.

Steve thinks it's a good idea. Taking Bucky out to do all the things they used to do together seems a reasonable way to help him regain more of a sense of who he is and was, and they used to go dancing all the time so... makes sense. Steve's managed to find an old fashioned dance hall that is, miraculously, still up and running and there are a fair number of people there. Mostly older couples, so Steve thinks privately that they fit right in.

Bucky is reluctant. When Steve takes his hand to lead them in a dance, he seems unsure. He's all stiff movements and a confused frown and though Steve tries to encourage him to relax, the lost look in his eyes does not go away. After a few songs of awkward shuffling and getting in peoples' way, Steve takes Bucky off to one side and they sit down.

"I'm sorry..." Steve begins, shaking his head. "This was a bad idea, I shouldn't have forced you to come here."

Bucky looks like he's already starting to beat himself up about this, so Steve grabs his hand and nudges Bucky's chin up to look at him. "It's okay Buck, really. This was my fault. I thought maybe if you..." he trails off. "But it doesn't matter. You're uncomfortable."

"Steve..." he begins uncertainly, "I... I wanna remember dancing with you."

Steve looks away and is silent for a couple of seconds, but when he meets Bucky's gaze again he has his most dazzling smile on.

"Wanna give it another go?"

They head out into the crowd of people again, and this time Bucky tries his best to trust Steve and follow his movements. The more they dance, the more his muscle memory seems to take over and Steve thinks it's like glimpsing back seventy odd years as Bucky gains confidence in his steps.

"See? You're good at this." he says, leaning in close to Bucky. Bucky just smiles. They find that it's surprisingly easy to settle into a familiar rhythm with one another. Bucky's chin nestles just in the hollow between Steve's collarbone and his neck and they dance that way, fitting neatly together like puzzle pieces, for a few more songs until Steve excuses himself with a promise to be back in two minutes. Bucky finds a seat. As he waits, familiar notes start to drift across the hall to where he sits, though he can't understand why they're familiar. He listens for a while and is surprised when he reaches a hand up to his face to feel tears there. When he raises his head Steve is there in front of him.

"Bucky?" he asks, voice full of concern and Bucky can't stand the pity but the flow of tears has become more rapid and he can't seem to stop crying long enough to be annoyed.

"I know this song, don't I?" he says in a hushed tone, glancing up at Steve who has now crouched in front of him and is nodding sadly.

"Yeah Buck... yeah we-" he pauses. "We used to dance to this together, do you remember?"

Bucky shakes his head. "Is that a happy memory for you?"

Steve nods.

"Then why am I crying?" he questions, but Steve has no answer so he says, "Tell me about it."

"It was when I was still really small and we were living together. You'd let me stand on your feet and we'd dance around the tiny living room we had." he continues, tears now spilling down his own cheeks. "You used to sing along, you knew every word."

"I don't know the words anymore."

"That's okay." He takes Bucky's hand and presses a kiss to the centre of his palm. They stay there until the chorus of the song kicks in, at which point Steve straightens up and asks, "Dance with me, Bucky?"


End file.
